My puppy is eating my pullets, help!!!

[emmalou]

I have a Great pyrenes/Anatolian female puppy, she's 3 month old and last week she started to eat my pullets. She does well with the lambs but not with the chicks. She's wearing a muzzle for now but I don't want to keep her on that for ever

 

[b.hromada]

lets give this a bump!

from S. Florida. Glad you joined us! Hope you find an answer to getting your puppy and girls along.

 

[zazouse]

Welcome to BYC,

I have one that did the same thing, i used a water hose and hosed him down when he got that look in his eye, it took a couple days but he now understands that they are not food.

I make sure he goes with me all the time to feed the babies and today is the first day they were free ranging around the house, He did not bother any of them, didn't even give that look, you will learn the look and then letem have it with the hose, it's not mean, mine loves to swim but he hates the suprise water them chicks set off if he looks at them too hard.

I have found these pups grow fast so they really should be fed 3 times a day if you can swing it, that will help alot in controlling the urge to grab a running snack :

You know when i went to pick my pup a hen flew into the pen and them pups 8 pounced on her and she was gone, they were just hungry, i felt bad for the guy as he listed them ad livestock gaurdian dog, but i have delt with dogs/pups all my life and there is a difference between a savage attack and a newbee looking for a meal.


I am sure you got a great pup there just needs to learn that not everything is food when they get hungry.


Arn't they just the biggest puppies ya ever seen?

 

[Beekissed]

Now is the perfect time to train her...soon she will be huge! Discourage any intensity around the chickens..any excited actions, pricked ears, straining at the leash, running in their direction. Do it immediately and consistently each and every time. Work hard at this if you wish to have a good livestock dog! If not you will just have a huge pet that you have to keep separate from your chickens and that would be a shame.

 

[Dr.Doorlock]

One of my three Boston Terriers snapped the head off a chick while I was holding it. He thought it was a new toy, but he tasted the blood. Strangly, he is now the only one of the three dogs not intimidated by the chickens, BUT he also disproves the old theary about "once a chicken eater, always a chicken eater". Training may be more of an issue with yours, but it can be done.

 

[Chickaholic]

from washington!!

My dog did the same thing when we first got our chicks too, it takes a lot of patience to train them but when they are it is such a blessing!!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

from Ohio!

Glad you joined!

 

[the lone rhubarb]

Lolololol..... hate to be mean but you could probably get some more answers on your
question if you posted it in "predators and pests" or "emergencies". But anyway,

hope you have lots of fun on here!!!!

 

[emmalou]

Thank you all for the welcome and replys. I know she is going to be a great dog and it's just a puppy stage where she is learning what it's alow and what it's not. But I guess I was hoping for a magic solution to this problem. I have a GP that is 11 years old and he did the same thing his first year but after that he was the most wonderful guarding dog ever. He would protect my chickens even for hawks. I dislike this puppy stage very much!

 

[BarredBuff]

from Eastern Kentucky.